Rest room: Toigetation, a brick building housing toilets, has won an international prize. — VNS Photo

HA NOI  (VNS) — The design for a restroom fused with a garden, constructed in the northern province of Cao Bang by Ha Noi-based H&P Architects, won the Social Good Award at the 2015 AZ Awards hosted by the Canadian architecture magazine Azure.

The Toigetation is a brick building with toilets inside, framed and shaded by bamboo awnings covered in green ivy.

It was constructed from second-hand drainage pipes, bricks and bamboo, which were cheap and available in Cao Bang. The design was equipped with a solar-powered battery, and was naturally ventilated. It stores rainwater and uses a simple system to treat and recycle waste water. It is also resistant to storms and typhoons.

Doan Thanh Ha, who led the design team, said it can be built in three weeks anywhere in the country for around US$3,000.

The architecture company was established in Viet Nam in June 2009. They design offices, residences, hotels, resorts, hospitals and urban spaces, as well as industrial areas, educational spaces and infrastructure all over the country.

The fifth AZ Awards gathered 720 designs from 43 nations. As many as 19 competitors were chosen for various categories including Best Residential Architecture, Best Commercial/Institutional Architecture, Best Landscape Architecture and Best Temporary/Demonstration Architecture. — VNS